Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-13

orranized to take him from Jail and
hang him. A strong guard was placed
about the Jail to protect him. but the
authorities deemed that this was not
sufficient and determined to remove him
TO Petersburg for safekeeping. This
was done none too soon. The sheriff,
aided by strong posse, secretly took
Puryear from the Jail, carried him to
secluded place in the woods, kept him
there all night, and the next day, by
q circrfitous route, brought him to Jail
in Petersburg, where he has been kept
ever since. 1t was apprehended that
sn assault upon the Jail here might be
attempted, and q strongly armed guard
was placed inside the building, but II
there ever was any intention OF an at
tempt to lynch him here it was aban-
doned.
on TRIAL.
Upon his arraignment in the County
Court he elected to be tried in the Cir
cult Court, and his trial was thus de-
layed for some months.
On March 16, 1886, the Circuit Court
of Dinwiddie met, Judge Hancock pre-
siding, and Puryear was arraigned for
trial. A large crowd was present to
witness it and all the witnesses to give
testimony. Puryear pleaded "not
gdilty" to the indictment as read by
the clerk. HIS counsel then presented
an affidavit to the Court sworn to by
the accused, declaring that by rea-
son of the prejudice existing against
him in the county, of the at
tempts that had been made to
lynch him, and OF the subscription to
employ counsel to prosecute him, he
did not believe that he coul1 get JUS
tice there. and asked that a jury be
summoned from another county TO try
him. The prosecution opposed the re-
quest as premature, on the ground that
the panel summoned by the Court had
not been exhausted. The Court so
rnlcd after hearing argument, but 1t
was subsequently, agreed that there
should be a change of venire, ald that
Puryear SHOULD be tried in the
CIRCUIT COURT or PRINCE GEORGE.
Tn May following the trial took place
in Prince George, and after two weeks
a verdict Of murder in the first degree
was rendered. When askedif he had
anything to say why sentence should
not be passed upon him Puryear said :;
"My counsel have said all that can be
said, and / have only to add that in
passing sentence upon me You are SEN
fencing an innocent man." He was
sentenced to be hanged on the 18th OF
October.
A few days before the day fixed for
the execution the prisoners counsel
obtained a writ of error from the Su-
preme Court suspending the execution
of the sentence until the case could be
reviewed and the exceptions taken
passed upon by that tribunal. This
caused another delay of many months.
THE LOWER COURT SUSTAINED.
Finally, on the oath of March, 1897,
the Supreme Court unanimously sus-
tanned the rulings OF the court below,
and denied a new trial to Puryesr. In
the May following Judge Hancock SEN
fenced Puryear to be hanged IN July.
All the while the prisoner proclaimed
his innocence, declaring that he only
wanted justice. He appealed to Gov
erpor Lee with full confidence that he
would be pardoned or have his sentence
commuted TO imprisonment. Here he
was sadly disappointed. The Gov
ernor positively refused to interfere
with the sentence Of the court. An
appeal wa. then made for a brief re-
spite TO enable Puryesr to prepare
for death. He had made 10 prepara-
ton. but had devoted all of his time to
writing history of his life. Governor
Lee respited him until the 18th OF Au-
gust.
sKrTCH OF THE CRIliE.
The following extract from the deci-
sion of the Supreme Court, based upon
the evidence in the trial, gives n vivid
description Of the circumstances at
tending the murder of his wife:
"Ihe accused married the deceased
in January, 1885. The engagement to
marry was the month of March fol-
lowing. The marriage was hastsned
upon the solicitation OF the intended
wife, who came to the store OF the pros
pectiye husband and urged the imme-
date consummation Of the marriage.
This was done in a few days,
the Intended wife selling her
lands for $500 and giving the
intended husband the money. a
few weeks after the consummation OF
the marriage the wife gave birth to q
feebly-deyeloped child. The day OF
the birth OF the child the husband car
ried the wife to a boarding-house in
Petersburg, where the child was born.
and there left her, lie says, because she
gave birth to the child, and hs had
been deceived about her condition, and
that he was not the father of the child.
The town authorities took him in custo
dy on complaint of the wife, and sen'
him and her back home III charge ol
an officer.
THE CHILD GIVEN AWAY.
He would not suffer the child to &c
with him and it was given away by the
mother to colored woman. The hus
band and wife then lived in diminu
tive country-store with little back
room, where the wife slept, and the
husband slept under the counter oI
the store, when he professed to have nc
intercourse with his wife, and did moi
allow any others to 90 in her room eX
cept under his supervision. The evidence
shows that he was always unkind and
harsh towards his wife, and protested
that nothing could make him live with
her. He tried many expedienss to rio
himself of her by negotiating with hel
| TO 90 to her mothers, then leaving hel
| for days together without his society
and without food, which was supplied
by some charitable colored people, q
Young colored woman coming to sleeI
with his wife in his absence. He cam'
home in the night and introduced him
self in the bed (where he professeC
never to go) when two women were IL
it. and the colored woman refused OF
| this account to stay with his vile agar
| when she was alone.
now HE GOT HER CONFESSION.
He then changed into an appearance
| of relenting had 4 notion of goinl
back to his wife, he said. Made som'
promises to her that he would no